


Stairway to the Stars

by Abby_S



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Late Night Conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 06:52:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1028594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abby_S/pseuds/Abby_S
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>“Hey, Red,” Dorothy says softly. Charlie doesn’t look away, head tipped back. There are stars in Oz. They aren’t that different from the ones on Earth, really, but somehow the sight makes Charlie’s throat tighten.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stairway to the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I borrowed the title to Blue Öyster Cult. Warnings for mentions of past character death (canon) and for, uh, a tiny little bit of angst drowned in an ocean of schmoop. 
> 
> Beta'd by VeraBAdler :)

“Hey, Red,” Dorothy says softly. Charlie doesn’t look away, head tipped back. There are stars in Oz. They aren’t that different from the ones on Earth, really, but somehow the sight makes Charlie’s throat tighten.

“Yeah?” she whispers, and the fallen tree trunk she is sitting on creaks when Dorothy joins her. They sit quietly for a minute, gaze turned skywards.

“You look sad,” Dorothy says eventually. The night is warm. The flames of the campfire are high, and Charlie knows that her cheeks are red from the warmth. She blinks away the sting in her eyes and smiles. The breeze makes a minute shiver trail along her back. She almost feels like crying.

“I hadn’t watched the stars since…” her voice trails off and she clears her throat, tearing her gaze from the milky-white sprinkles. Dorothy is watching her, a searching look on her face.

“Since my parents died,” Charlie says. It leaves her mouth like a sigh. She closes her eyes and, for the first time, there isn’t the burst of guilt in the pit of her stomach. It feels like some of the weight has been lifted from her heart. _I found my quest_ , she thinks. _You would be proud of me, mom_.

Dorothy’s eyes are dark and serious, as warm as her smile. There is something hidden in the depths of them, and it looks like tiny galaxies. Charlie smiles back and accepts the proffered hand, lets Dorothy help her up. Standing in the middle of the clearing, they look back at the infinite canvas, necks craned and fingers entwined. The wind is singing a peculiar melody in the trees, or maybe it's just Charlie’s imagination. It’s almost like a whisper.

Suddenly, a trail of light crosses the sky. Charlie gasps, eyes widening.

“Did you see it?” she asks, voice hushed. Dorothy shuffles closer and huffs a quiet laugh. An owl cries in the distance, and the piercing song makes a shiver go through Charlie’s spine.

“I did,” Dorothy says. “Make a wish.”

Charlie glances sideways, biting her lip. The flames are casting flickering shadows on Dorothy’s face, and her smile is oddly peaceful. Knowing.

 _I want my friends to be happy_ , Charlie thinks, closing her eyes. _I want them to be happy and safe_.

When she opens them, Dorothy doesn’t ask what her wish was. She just squeezes Charlie’s hand.

“When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me ‘ _look, sweetie. The sky is winking at us’,”_ Charlie says suddenly. Her voice is a little too rough.

Dorothy’s palm is warm and dry, and Charlie doesn’t want to let go. Not now, not ever.

“Your mother was a wise woman,” Dorothy says quietly. “I never knew mine.”

Charlie doesn’t answer.  She can’t imagine a world where she never _knew_ her parents. She lost them early enough for her memories to blur and change, but she has known the warmth of her mother’s voice, before she became that prone, empty form lying in a hospital bed. She has known her father’s laugh, and these memories are the best thing she's ever possessed. Damn, these memories were her _Heaven_.

Dorothy tugs at her hand, and Charlie realizes belatedly that they are still standing next to the fire. She allows herself a single, deep sigh and lets Dorothy guide her toward the trunk. They sit again, wordlessly, and when Charlie turns her head to look at Dorothy, she is hit with the realization that _this is it_. This is what she has been looking for, for so long. Dorothy is here, she’s beautiful, she’s brave, and she’s everything Charlie has ever wanted.

The heat of the fire is licking their skin with golden and orange shadows, and Dorothy is close – when did she get so close? Charlie can count every imperfection on her skin, and finds them oddly endearing. The crow’s feet, the freckles, the dimples that appear when she smiles, and the quiet sadness in her eyes that reminds Charlie that this woman sacrificed years of her life to protect the worlds she knew and loved.

 _She deserves to be happy_ , Charlie thinks. _And I deserve it, too._

“Can I kiss you?” The words stumble out of her mouth without her permission, and she can already feel a blush crawling up her cheeks. Dorothy’s eyes widen, a flash of surprise crossing her face, quickly replaced by caution.

“Are –” she starts, and her voice is a little hoarse and shaky. She clears her throat, frowns.  Charlie’s heart is pounding. She almost wants to backtrack, to play it off as a joke, but before she can consider the idea, Dorothy looks up. The hope Charlie sees there is both frightening and heady.

“Are you sure?” Dorothy asks, a cautious smile spreading on her lips. Charlie laughs and shakes her head, because this is probably the most awkward moment in her life – and she’s had a _lot_ of awkward moments – but she feels so happy that she might burst with it.

“Of course I’m sure,” she says softly.

Dorothy stares at her, and Charlie wonders why she looks so incredulous that someone would want to kiss her. Dorothy is undeniably charming, with her warm, brown eyes and her no-nonsense attitude.

Then, Dorothy nods and smiles again, and Charlie is lost.

She leans over, cupping Dorothy’s cheek.  The skin is smooth under her palm, and when their lips touch, Charlie finally understands why people say _the whole world came to a halt when we kissed,_ because this is it. Her heart is beating a tattoo in her ribs, and she can’t hear anything over the rushing of blood in her ears. The kiss is not the best she has ever had, far from it. The angle is all wrong, their necks craning uncomfortably, but it feels like a gift.

When they part, Charlie is a little light-headed, and Dorothy looks very much the same. But there is something younger in her face when she laughs breathlessly and closes her eyes. Charlie watches as she tips her head back and inhales deeply. She knows she has the sappiest smile on her face; she probably looks stupid, but she can’t bring herself to care.

“I liked that,” Dorothy hiccups between two huffs of laughter. Charlie can feel it bubbling down her chest, too, and she doesn’t quite manage to stifle the most undignified giggle that has ever come out of her mouth.

She looks up at the stars and forces her heartbeat to slow down, a dopey grin still plastered on her lips.

“Me, too,” she whispers.

The sky winks at them. 

Charlie smiles, and winks back.

 

_End._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [Sapphirestiel](http://sapphirestiel.tumblr.com/)  on Tumblr :)


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